Toy building set with interfitting frames and blocks



Dec. 15,1970 A.w.H wE j 3,546,807

TOY BUILDING SET WITH INTERFITTING FRAMES AND BLOCKS Filed Dec. 5, 1968 Z 3 5 5 3 q 5 1 4 i 6 1 6/ y 7 3 p 3 N9 1 1c 0?; F H 8 |g.1b Fi .'IC FiC.'|C| F|g.1a Q

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.2 26\ F ig2b Attorney H h Augusf W. H'o'we 36! E T INVENTOR $34 35 39 23 BY 3O--H H H H Li g Ro PQSQ w ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Toy building set with several rectangular frame elements of different sizes, all their sides except possibly the minor side of the smallest rectangle being equal to or a multiple of predetermined unit length corresponding to the length of the sides of a multiplicity of prismatic building blocks of square outline also included in the set; the rectangles and building blocks are formed with complementary projections and depressions enabling their selective interfitting. Specially colored or otherwise distinctive panels may be swingably lodged in the rectangles to simulate window panes and the like.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 383,597 filed July 20, 1964, now Patent No. 3,415,007.

In that copending application and patent I have disclosed a toy building set wtih a multiplicity of prismatic, generally cubic blocks serving as basic construction elements, these blocks as well as several types of associated auxiliary elements being formed with mating formations to enable their selective interfitting. More particularly, the blocks may be formed with male coupling formations or plugs on one or more sides and with complementary sockets on at least one other side; other such formations include lateral grooves, designed to receive ribbed cover plates, and inner recesses forming lateral extensions of the socket on the last-mentioned side.

With the object of increasing the diversity of the structures capable of being constructed with such a toy set, m prior application and patent also disclose a set of rectangular frames of staggered sizes to be used as auxiliary construction elements. My present invention relates particularly to these frames and their mode of interconnection with one another and with the basic building blocks of the set.

In accordance with an important feature of this invention, the aforementioned rectangular frames are so dimensioned that the sides of each rectangle are equal to or a whole multiple of a given unit length s corresponding to all or an aliquot fraction (e.g. half) of the length of a side of the basic block, the length of each frame side being thus equal to n-s where n is an integer. In a preferred embodiment, giving the widest choice of building dimensions obtainable through selective combinations of differently size frames. the rectangles are so staggered that the major side of any smaller frame equals the minor side of the next-larger frame, the major and minor sides of each frame differing by the length of a block side with the possible exception of the smallest-size frame whose major side may have a length 2s corresponding to that block side, its minor side having the unit length s.

According to another advantageous feature, the outer surfaces of the frames are substantially uniformly studed with coupling formations alternating with complementary female formations; though the latter could be throughgoing holes or sltos, it will usually suflice to shape them as blind holes or depressions so as not unduly to weaken the walls of the frames. The male formations may United States Patent ice be ribs or bosses of round, square or rectangular profile, their spacing being advantageously so chosen that any two adjoining projections may jointly fit into a cutout of a building lock, e.g. one of the lateral grooves or the laterally recessed socket thereof referred to above.

According to another feature of my invention, special rectangular panels may be pivotally or otherwise mountable in one or more of the frames to stimulate, say, windows or doors. These panels may be transparent or distinctively colored to enhance that impression.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. la is a side-elevational view of a basic building block of a toy set according to the invention;

FIG. 1b is a top view thereof;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line ICIC of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1d is a sectional elevation taken on the line IDID of FIG. 1a;

FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are face views (the first one in section) of successively smaller frames in a set of staggered frames according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of one of these frames provided with a swingable panel; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a combination of a variety of interfitted elements of the type shown in the preceding figures.

In FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d I have shown a block 1 having a prismatic, specifically cubic body whose sides have a length 2s, s being a unit length significant for the dimensioning of a set of associated frames 25, 26, 27 and 28 respectively illustrated in FIGS. 20, 2b. 2c, 2d. Thus, the smallest frame 25 has a minor side of length s and a major side of length 2s; the next frame 26 has a minor side of length 2s and a major side of length 4s; the third frame 27 has a minor side of length 4s and a major side of length 6s; and the largest frame 28 has a minor side of length 6s and a major side of length 8s. All the frames as well as the blocks 1 of the set are advantageously made of a synthetic resin having sufficient resiliency to facilitate the releasable interfitting of their mating formations which include one or more square-profiled plugs 2, 4 on upper and/or lateral faces of blocks 1, complementary sockets 6 on the undersides thereof, lateral median grooves 3 of a width corresponding to the diameter of a center bore 5 of plug 2, and symmetrically disposed recesses 9 formed at the bottom 8 of socket 6 in internal ribs 7 whose presence gives sufficient wall thickness to the body of the block in the region of the grooves 3. On the frames 25-28 the coupling formations are outwardly pointing bosses 29 and depressions 30 alternating therewith along the length of a frame Side, both the projections 29 and the depressions 30 being equispaced along the frame sides though any depression flanked by two projections is shown to lie closer to one of these projections than the other. The bosses 29 may be of square profile, complementary to that of the recesses 9 in FIGS. 10 and 1d, and so spaced apart that the bottom cutout 8 of any block 1 may be fitted thereto as illustrated in FIG. 4. This figure also shows how two or more frames, specifically frames 25 and 28, can be interfitted by their male and female coupling formations 29, 30.

It will be seen that any pair of closely adjoining formations 29, 30 on, say, frame 25 is relatively widely separated from the next such pair by a land 37, level with the outer frame edge, which comes to rest against a similar land on the adjoining frame (e.g. 26) Whose projections and depressions mate with the complementary formations on the first frame. It will further be noted that the first formation on a frame side, nearest one corner, is of one type (e.g. a depression 30) while the last formation-on that side, nearest the opposite corner, is of the other type (eg a projection 29). This arrangement allows the fitting of a larger number of coupling formations on a frame of given size (and therefore the choice of a smaller unit length s) than wouldbe possible if the bosses 29 and depressions 30 were uniformly spaced from one another.

Each frame 25-28, or some of them, may be provided with mounting formations 34, i.e. a pair of aligned notches in opposite frame sides, defining a more or less median axis designated 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d in FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d, respectively. These notches are designed to receive pins 33, FIG. 3, on a rectangular panel 32 fitting the respective frame whereby the latter may swing about the corresponding pivotal axis in the manner of a door or window. Such swinging (arows A) may be limited by an abutment 35 in the form of a ledge along an inner frame edge parallel to the swing axis. Panel 32 may consist of glass, plastic material, metal or any other sufficiently rigid material and may be specifically colored or otherwise of distinctive appearance compared with the associated frame.

It will be apparent that the blocks 1 may also be fitted with their grooves 3 onto the studs 29 and that, if desired, other mating formations can be provided on these blocks for that purpose.

I claim:

1. In a building set, in combination, a plurality of rectangular frames of different sizes, the side of each rectangle being equal to n.s where n is a whole number and s is a predetermined unit length, said frames being externally provided with complementary male and female formations enabling their selective interfitting, said male formations being outwardly directed projections and said female formations being inwardly directed depressions, said projections and depressions alternating along a frame side and being grouped into n pairs of closely adjoining complementary formations separated along said frame side by intervening lands level with the outer frame surface, the'separation of said pairs by said lands substantially exceeding the relative spacing of said adjoining complementary formations, the first formation at one end and the last formation at the opposite end of said frame side being of complementary types.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein each of said rectangles has a major side equal to the minor side of the next-larger frame.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, further including a multiplicity of identical, matingly interconnectable, generally prismatic blocks, said unit length s bearing an aliquot relationship with the length of a side of any of said blocks, the latter having surface recesses adapted to receive said projections for selective attachment to said frames.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein the outline of said blocks is a square of side 2s and the minor side of the smallest frame is equal to s, the major side of said smallest frame being equal to 2s and the major side of each larger frame differing by 2s from the corresponding minor side.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein at least one side of each frame is provided with at least a pair of said male formations in longitudinally spaced relationship, said blocks having faces provided with elongate cutouts engageable by said pair of projections.

' 6. The combination defined in claim 1, further including at least one rectangular panel, at least one of said frames having substantially the dimensions of said panel and being provided with mounting formations for receiving said panel in its interior.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said panel is provided with a pair of aligned lateral pins, said mounting formations being a pair of aligned notches spaced and positioned to receive said pins for pivotally engaging said panel.

8. The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said one of said frames is provided with an internal ledge along a side parallel to the line of said notches forming an abutment for said panel.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said ledge extends along a side of said one of said frames, said notches being disposed substantially midway on two sides transverse thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 732,384 6/1903 Thomsen 4623 1,894,061 1/1933 Sanders 4625 2,093,341 9/1937 Relche 46l9X 2,780,028 2/ 1957 McNeill 4619 3,284,946 11/ 1966 Christiansen 4623X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,212,875 10/1959 France 4631 1,311,992 11/1962 France 4623 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4623, 30 

